Freight Update

The wonderful freight company offered to have Mark accompany the van and camper on its sea voyage! For free! I think that is an amazing offer. Mark told them he had to fly the dogs over and they said he should just bring the dogs on board. They needed to call the captain about the dogs. The captain is on a ship near Venezuela.

It’s kind of interesting, this is all so complex and alien to us but to the people we are working with, it is so simple and no big deal.

Total cost of freighting the van and camper to Cartagena = $5954.94

Cheaper than RT airfare from Fairbanks to Orlando.

There will be some fees in Colombia, probably about $300. It takes three days to complete the paperwork in Colombia.

To make things more exciting, Ryan lost his credit card in Miami and when I called to report it lost, the bank closed my credit card by mistake. When I logged in to order a new one for Ryan, I saw that his was still active and mine was gone. An hour later, after going through a hellish automated system and changing my address officially to Florida, a new card for me is in the mail. Not Ryan, though. I need to activate my new card and then request his. It will need to be forwarded to Ecuador.

7 Responses

Mary White-Jasper

Uncle Mark in Florida

I note that the cost to transport your van and trailer by barge from Miami to Columbia is about $6,000; and I guess the return trip may cost the same. That’s $12,000 round trip. Florida to Columbia is only one leg of your journey, and your whole trip is not a cheap one – to my mind. You are indeed fortunate to have the finances and oodles of free time for your somewhat “risky encounter”. I doubt that any of my four children or eight grandchildren will ever afford to undertake such an adventure. If you keep a daily log, perhaps you can write a book and recoup some of your expenses. And I hope you have packed antibiotics to combat the unsanitary food conditions you are likely to encounter in South America. I will be praying that you have no more “snags” for the rest of your trip.

admin

If we can do it, anybody can! We saved money for two years and Michelle will continue to work the entire time. Michelle works in a highly specialized field and she chose that kind of career in part because she wanted to be able to travel; these were decisions we made more than 20 years ago.The cost of RT airfare from Fairbanks to Santiago is $1658 (best deal and that is ($13,264) — and that does not include a rental car, two (or three) hotel rooms (because there are 8 of us), kenneling the dogs, eating out every meal for 8 people, flying (or worse bus rides) between countries and cities. We are spending $1500 per person to get to South America, all lodging and all transportation for 3+ months. We could not do this trip any cheaper. Also it enables us to cook our own food and have our own bathroom / shower and water, substantially reducing the exposure we will have to unsanitary conditions. Cooking our own food is also cheaper than eating out. I do all the car repairs myself and I did all the work to the camper and van to make them ready for the trip. We have home schooled the kids from the start and with six children home schooled and a full-time job while we travel, it does not really seem like we have “oodles” of free time! We have just picked a different venue for the year – South America instead of Alaska, a different place to be while we work and the kids go to school. We are saving on our heating bill and food costs while we travel (everywhere is cheaper than Alaska!). We do have antibiotics; it’s on the blog — http://www.thebluevan.us/preparing-to-leave-the-usa/. Again, if we can do it, anyone can. It just takes the desire to do it, research, planning and saving. One of the reasons for this blog is to provide information we learn on our adventure and to encourage others to live deliberately and enjoy life. Good luck to all who make the effort!

Sara

it’s brilliant, and you will do it! every time i mention your trip to friends or colleagues their faces light up, as if they’d forgotten, and just remembered, that something unconventional and adventuresome is far from impossible!

Uncle Mark in Florida

Good for you!! It’s nice to know of the detailed planning that has gone into your trip. It sure corrects my perspective – and I deserve to be “bonked on the head” for looking at everything with “my blinders on”. Still, I doubt if any of my own children will ever have the desire or means to go on such an “expedition”. For sure, your whole family will have priceless memories that few others will ever have. And I still will pray that you have very fewer “hangups” – as will others who are watching your progress.

mary

I am also happy you did not take the cats…they bring us laughter everyday. You are really correct about the savings of leaving Alaska for the winter. When we came back from Latin American travel last spring we felt like we spent less traveling than we would have staying. Plus the sanity factor is huge! We miss you guys a lot and the holidays are not the same!